If NOT, try one of these:

Causes of Widespread Rash or Redness

Viral Rash. Most rashes are part of a viral illness. Viral rashes usually have small pink spots. They occur on both sides of the chest, stomach and back. Your child may also have a fever with some diarrhea or cold symptoms. They last 2 or 3 days. More common in the summer.

Roseola. This is the most common viral rash in the first 3 years of life. (See details below).

Chickenpox. A viral rash with a distinctive pattern. (see that Care Guide)

Hand-Foot and-Mouth Disease. A viral rash with a distinctive pattern. It starts with tiny red spots and blisters on the palms and soles. (see that Care Guide)

Scarlet Fever. Scarlet Fever is a speckled, red rash all over. Caused by the Strep bacteria. Starts on upper chest and quickly spreads to lower chest and stomach. No more serious than a Strep throat infection without a rash.

Drug Rash. Most rashes that start while taking an antibiotic are viral rashes. Only 10% turn out to be allergic drug rashes. (see details below)

Hives. Raised pink bumps with pale centers. Hives look like mosquito bites. Rashes that are bumpy and itchy are often hives. Most cases of hives are caused by a virus. Hives can also be an allergic reaction. (See that Care Guide for details)

Hot Tub Rash. Causes small red bumps that are painful and itchy. Mainly occurs on skin covered by a bathing suit. Rash starts 12-48 hours after being in hot tub. Caused by overgrowth of bacteria in hot tubs.

Petechiae Rash (Serious). Petechiae are purple or dark red colored tiny dots. They come from bleeding into the skin. Scattered petechiae with a fever are caused by Meningococcemia until proven otherwise. This is a life-threatening bacterial infection of the bloodstream. Peak age is 3 to 6 months old. Unlike most pink rashes, petechiae don't fade when pressed on.

Purpura Rash (Serious). Purpura means bleeding into the skin. It looks like purple or dark red larger spots. Widespread purpura is always an emergency. It can be caused by a bacterial bloodstream infection. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is an example.

Blister Rash (Serious). Widespread blisters on the skin are a serious sign. It can be caused by infections or drugs. Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an example.

Caution. All widespread rashes with fever need to be seen. They need to be diagnosed. Reason: some serious infections that can cause this type of rash.

Drugs and Rashes

Prescription medicines sometimes cause widespread rashes. Some are allergic, but most are not.

Non-prescription (OTC) medicines rarely cause any rashes.

Most rashes that occur while taking an OTC medicine are viral rashes.

Fever medicines (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) cause the most needless worry. Reason: most viral rashes start with a fever. Hence, the child is taking a fever medicine when the rash starts.

Drug rashes can't be diagnosed over the phone.

Roseola - A Classic Rash

Most children get Roseola between 6 months and 3 years of age.

Rash: Pink, small, flat spots on the chest and stomach. Then spreads to the face.

Classic feature: 2 or 3 days of high fever without a rash or other symptoms.

The rash starts 12 to 24 hours after the fever goes away.

The rash lasts 1 to 3 days.

By the time the rash appears, the child feels fine.

Treatment: The rash is harmless. Creams or medicines are not needed.

Localized Versus Widespread Rash: How to Decide

Localized means the rash occurs on one small part of the body. Usually, the rash is just on one side of the body. An example is a rash on 1 foot. Exceptions: Athlete's foot can occur on both feet. Insect bites can be scattered.

Widespread means the rash occurs on larger areas. Examples are both legs or the entire back. Widespread can also mean on most of the body surface. Widespread rashes always occur on matching (both) sides of the body. Many viral rashes are on the chest, stomach and back.

The cause of a widespread rash usually spreads through the blood stream. Examples are rashes caused by viruses, bacteria, toxins, and food or drug allergies.

The cause of a localized rash usually is just from contact with the skin. Examples are rashes caused by chemicals, allergens, insect bites, ringworm fungus, bacteria or irritants.

This is why it's important to make this distinction.

When to Call for Rash or Redness - Widespread

Call 911 Now

Purple or blood-colored spots or tiny dots with fever

Trouble breathing or swallowing

Not moving or too weak to stand

You think your child has a life-threatening emergency

Call Doctor Now or Go to ER

Purple or blood-colored spots or tiny dots without fever

Bright red skin that peels off in sheets

Large blisters on skin

Bloody crusts on the lips

Not alert when awake ("out of it")

Taking a prescription medication within the last 3 days

Fever

Your daughter is having her period and using tampons

Your child looks or acts very sick

You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Call Doctor Within 24 Hours

Widespread rash, but none of the symptoms above. Reason: All widespread rashes need to be checked by a doctor.

Call 911 Now

Purple or blood-colored spots or tiny dots with fever

Trouble breathing or swallowing

Not moving or too weak to stand

You think your child has a life-threatening emergency

Call Doctor Now or Go to ER

Purple or blood-colored spots or tiny dots without fever

Bright red skin that peels off in sheets

Large blisters on skin

Bloody crusts on the lips

Not alert when awake ("out of it")

Taking a prescription medication within the last 3 days

Fever

Your daughter is having her period and using tampons

Your child looks or acts very sick

You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Call Doctor Within 24 Hours

Widespread rash, but none of the symptoms above. Reason: All widespread rashes need to be checked by a doctor.

Care Advice for Widespread Rashes

What You Should Know About Widespread Rashes:

Most rashes with small pink spots all over are part of a viral illness.

This is more likely if your child has a fever. Other symptoms (like diarrhea) also point to a viral rash.

Here is some care advice that should help until you talk with your doctor.

Non-Itchy Rash Treatment:

If you suspect a heat rash, give a cool bath.

Otherwise, no treatment is needed.

Itchy Rash Treatment:

Wash the skin once with soap to remove any irritants.

Steroid Cream. For relief of itching, use 1% hydrocortisone cream (such as Cortaid). Put it on the most itchy areas. No prescription is needed. Do this 3 times per day.

Cool Bath. For flare-ups of itching, give your child a cool bath. Do not use soap. Do this for 10 minutes. (Caution: Avoid any chill). Option: Can add 2 ounces (60 ml) of baking soda per tub.

Note: Fevers less than 102° F (39° C) are important for fighting infections.

For all fevers: Keep your child well hydrated. Give lots of cold fluids.

Return to School:

Most viral rashes can be spread to others (especially if a fever is present).

If your child has a fever, avoid contact with other children. Also, avoid pregnant women until a diagnosis is made.

For minor rashes, your child can return after the fever is gone.

For major rashes, your child can return to school after the rash is gone. If your doctor has given medical clearance, your child can return sooner.

What to Expect:

Most viral rashes go away within 48 hours.

Call Your Doctor If:

You think your child needs to be seen

Your child becomes worse

And remember, contact your doctor if your child develops any of the 'Call Your Doctor' symptoms.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

The rash is no longer contagious when all of the spots are crusted over and no new spots are appearing. This usually takes 7 days from the first appearance of the rash.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

This child's right hand and wrist displays the characteristic spotted rash of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most severe and most frequently reported rickettsial illness in the United States. The disease is caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii. The disease is spread by ticks.

Measles Rash

This child with measles is showing the typical red blotchy rash on his buttocks and back during the 3rd day of the rash.

A red blotchy rash appears around day 3 of the illness, first on the face, and then becoming generalized.

Penicillin Rash on the Arm

This patient had a widespread rash from an allergy to penicillin. The picture shows the arm.

Viral Rash

This is a simple viral rash in a healthy young boy. The rash was caused by the Echovirus.

Scarlet Fever Rash

The photo shows the typical Scarlet Fever rash on the forearm.

The scarlet fever rash first appears as tiny red bumps on the chest and abdomen that may spread all over the body. Looking like a sunburn, it feels like a rough piece of sandpaper, and lasts about 2-5 days.

Scarlet fever is a disease caused by the same bacteria (Streptococcus) that causes strep throat. A person with Scarlet fever has a throat that is red and sore, usually a fever, usually swollen glands in the neck, and a Scarlet fever rash.

Measles Rash on Face

This photo shows a child with Measles.

Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease. Symptoms include fever, conjunctivitis (red eyes), runny nose, cough, and spots on the inside cheeks (inside of mouth). A red blotchy rash appears around day 3 of the illness, first on the face, and then becoming more widespread.

Chickenpox Rash

Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus resulting in an itchy blister-like rash, tiredness and fever.

It appears first on the trunk and face, but can spread over the entire body causing between 250 and 500 itchy blisters.

Is Your Child Sick?

Medical Library

What's New?

Parent Workshops at Stapleton Pediatrics

Stapleton Peds is excited to announce that we are hosting a series of parent workshops in our office put on by EMPOWER Centers of Excellence in Family Behavioral Health. See the attached for more details and to register as space is limited.

The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained in these topics is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.

Not a Substitute - The information and materials on this website and RemedyConnect's content (Including but not exclusive of: Illness/Symptoms, Is Your Child Sick? Medicine Dosages, Medical Conditions) should not be used as a substitute for the care and knowledge that your physician can provide to you.

Supplement - The information and materials presented here in HouseCalls Online are meant to supplement the information that you obtain from your physician. If there is a disagreement between the information presented herein and what your physician has told you -- it is more likely that your physician is correct. He or she has the benefit of knowing your medical problems.

Limitations - You should recognize that the information and materials presented here in HouseCalls Online have the following limitations, in comparison to being examined by your own physician:

You can have a conversation with your doctor.

Your doctor can perform a physical examination and any necessary tests.

You could have an underlying medical problem that requires a physician to detect.

If you're taking medications, they could influence how you experience various symptoms.

If you think that you are having a medical emergency,
call 911 or the number for the local emergency ambulance service NOW!

And when in doubt, call your doctor NOW
or go to the closest emergency department.

By using this website, you accept the information provided herein "AS IS." Neither RemedyConnect nor the providers of the information contained herein will have any liability to you arising out of your use of the information contained herein or make any express or implied warranty regarding the accuracy, content, completeness, reliability, or efficacy of the information contained within this website.

RemedyConnect, Inc. has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to your privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website: http://www.remedyconnect.com.

Acquisition of Information through PMD

We do not acquire any more information about website visitors than is required by law or is otherwise necessary to provide a high level of service efficiently and securely. Our site's registration form requires users to give us contact information (e.g., their name and e-mail address) and demographic information (e.g., children's birth months, but not birth dates). We use customer contact information from the registration form to (1) send the user pertinent medical and parenting information and (2) allow your local health provider lists of who is registering on that provider's site as a parent/guardian, staff member, doctor, or visitor. Users may opt-out of receiving future mailings; see the choice/opt-out section below.

We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Website. Your IP address is used to help identify you and to gather broad demographic information.

Demographic and profile data is also collected at our site. We may use this data to tailor the visitor's experience at our site, showing them content that we think they might be interested in, and displaying the content according to their preferences.

Our site may use order forms to allow users to request information, products, and services.

Your Doctor's Right to Privacy

We will respect your doctor's right to privacy. A doctor typically does not give his/her e-mail address to the parents/guardians of patients. We will not provide the e-mail addresses of doctor(s) in the local practice to users of their site without the doctor(s)' permission. Their site is restricted to use by whomever they wish, and they may deny access to their site to one or more prior users. In unusual cases, doctors may change their private site's access code and arrange for us to e-mail the new access code to approved users.

Cookies

We use cookies to deliver content specific to your interests and to save your doctor's access code so you don't have to re-enter it each time you visit your doctor's site on http://www.remedyconnect.com.

Links

This site contains links to other sites. RemedyConnect.com is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Websites. See Disclaimers.

When we make our technology or services available to business partners, we will not share with them any more consumer information than is necessary, and we will make every reasonable effort to assure, by contract or otherwise, that they use our technology and services in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.

Public Forums

This site may make chat rooms, forums, message boards, and/or news groups available to its users. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.

Security

This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. For further information regarding our security, please contact us at support@remedyconnect.com. If you have any concerns regarding the security of information, please do not provide any information to RemedyConnect, Inc. until you are comfortable with our security measures.

Correct/Update

You may correct or update your User Registration information at any time, by visiting the User Registration section and providing your personal password that you set at registration. If need be, please email us at support@remedyconnect.com.

Choice/Opt-Out

Our site provides users the opportunity to opt-out of receiving e-mail communications from our partners or us, except communications approved by your doctor's practice office. To so opt-out, please email us at support@remedyconnect.com. To be removed as a user, please email us at the same address. If need be, you may mail requests to us at RemedyConnect, Inc., 9200 E. Mineral Avenue, Suite 100, Centennial, CO 80112. Our telephone number is 303-793-0703.

Contacting the Website

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Website, you can contact us by email at support@remedyconnect.com or by mail at our address above.